Dramatic Irony In The Gift Of The Magi

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Buying presents for loved ones is always difficult, but buying presents with a small amount of money is even more difficult. The author of “The Gift of the Magi” uses irony along with a theme of selflessness to tell the story of Jim and Della. When someone is in love they would do anything and everything just to make their loved one happy, even if that means they have to make sacrifices. The characters in this story did not realize at the time that the greatest present they received was each other’s love. “Though the story is long and of another era, Henry's touching account of young love at Christmas has an enduring appeal”(Kirkus Media 228).
“The Gift of the Magi” is about a young couple, Jim and Della who have a scarce amount of money. It is almost Christmas, but they simply do not have the money to buy each other nice presents. Della values her long hair, while Jim values his antique pocket watch. Jim sells his watch in order to buy Della combs that she has been eyeing for a long time. Della also sells her prized possession to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Neither Jim nor Della knew …show more content…
“His pendant for dramatic irony, a trademark in many of his short stories, gives his style its distinctive flavor”(Zaid 1). When analyzing this short story that was the first thing that really stood out. It made the reader want to keep reading what was going to happen when Jim found out Della had sold her hair to buy him a gift, “His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her”(O. Henry2). That was not what the reader should have been worried about, but the irony when we find out that Jim had also sold his watch to buy Della a gift, “For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window”(O. Henry2). The irony of the story turned into them realizing that the greatest gift they both had ever received was their
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